Box-marking machine



Aug. 15 1939 J. H. G'ARROTT BOX-MARKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1957 4 SheetsSheet 1 Aug. 15, 1939 J. H GARROTT BOX-MARKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY /M ATTORNEYS. V

Aug. 15, 1939 J. H. G ARROTT BOX-MARKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOX-MARKING MACHINE Application October 22, 1937, Serial No. 170,331

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel and improved form of box marking machine, the novel features of which will be best understood from the following description and the annexed drawings, in which I have shown a selected embodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. l is an elevation of one side of the machine, parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan on an enlarged scale of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, with certain parts in different positions and with other parts shown in section or in greater detail;

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the structure appearing at the lefthand end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The illustrated embodiment comprises a base I upon which are mounted the various parts of the machine. I have shown the invention as used with a known type of printing machine which comprises a motor 2 driving a shaft 3 upon which is a worm 4 driving a worm gear 5 on a shaft 6. On one end of this shaft is a gear 1 driving a gear 8 on a shaft 9, on the end of which is a crank it driving a pitman II. This pitman is pivotally connected at its other end with a platen l2 which is reciprocated by the pitman in suitable guides !3 on the base. Secured to the platen is an inking pad l4 over which run rollers [5. These rollers at each reciprocation. of the platen pass over the inking pad and thence over the platen in the manner known in the art, this being accomplished by supporting the rollers on a frame l6 pivoted at I! to the carriage 18 which supports the platen. The frame is caused to rock by means of a link l9 pivotally connected to the frame at 2B and connected at its other end to a relatively fixed pivot 2i.

The mechanism described up to this point is known in the art and is used to move the platen from an operative position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 and in dotted lines in. Fig. 1, to an inoperative position shown in full lines in Fig. l and then back to operative position, this movement being repeated indefinitely as long as the motor is operated. The platen has on; its face letters or other characters located in this instance at the point 22, and when the platen is brought to operative position these characters will be imprinted upon an object at that position. That object in the illustrated embodiment is a box 23 which is to be marked at its opposite ends by imprinting thereon the characters located at 22 on the platen. According to prior art practice, a support has been provided to hold a box in such position that the platen will mark one end thereof and then during the reciprocation of the platen an operator has removed the box from the support and reversed it so that upon the next reciprocation the platenv will mark the other end of the box. This has been unsatisfactory, however, in that the machine must be slowed down to a point where an operator will have sufiicient time to remove the box from the support and reverse its position. Even with a fairly fast operator it oftentimes happens that one or more reciprocations of the platen will take place before the box is in position for the second marking, and in the interval additional ink has been placed on the platen so that the marking on the box is made with an excess of ink. These disadvantages and others are obviated by the arrangement which will now be described.

According to my invention, I use as the support for the box 23 a turntable which may be in two parts 24 and 25 which have overlapping tongues 26, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the two parts may slide relatively to each other to be adjusted for different sizes of the box. Each part may also be yieldably forced away from the other part by means of springs 2'! surrounding pins 28 secured to the hub 29 and having heads received in holes 30 in the respective parts.

The hub 29 is part of a body 3! which is rotatably mounted on a pivot 32. Also rotatably mounted on the same pivot is a sprocket 33 integral with a plate 34 upon which is pivoted a pawl 35. The body 3| is provided with a ratchet 35 cooperating with the pawl.

Passing around the sprocket 33 is a chain 37 which engages the teeth of the sprocket and which has one end connected to a tension spring 38 and the other end to a lever 39 which is pivoted on one end at 40 on a fixed arm 4| secured to the base. Also secured to the lever 39 is a chain 42 which connects the lever to the carriage I8 of the platen.

The pivot 32 is fixed on a slide 43 slidably mounted in guides 44 fixed on the base I. The slide may be moved in these guides by means of an adjustment screw 45 so that the entire turntable may be moved towards or away from the platen.

In operation, it will be seen that the platen will be reciprocated in the usual way to move it back and forth between operative and inoperative positions. As it comes to operative position, it will imprint characters on one end of the box 23 which is placed upon the turntable support, the ends of the box forming part of the edge portion thereof which overhangs the support. Then as the platen moves away from operative position, the chain 31 will rotate the plate 34 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. and against the tension of the spring 38. This will cause the pawl to rotate the turntable by engagement with the ratchet 36. The parts are so designed that the amount of rotation will cause the opposite end of the box 23 to be brought to the operative position of the platen so that when the platen returns to that position it will imprint the characters upon that end of the box. The turntable is yieldingly held in correct position by means of a spring detent 46 engaging within one of two opposite notches 41 in a flange 48 on the body 3|.

As the platen returns to operative position, the plate 34 and the ratchet carried thereby are rotated in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5, so that the pawl will be in position to engage the tooth of the ratchet opposite the tooth which it is shown as engaging in Fig. 5. This rotation of the plate 34 is caused by action of the spring 38 which, as shown, is secured to the chain at one end and to the fixed part 4| at the other end thereof.

After both ends of the box have been marked, the box may be removed by the operator and replaced with a fresh box. Thus for each marling of a box on both ends thereof, it is necessary for the operator to perform only one operation, that of removing one box and replacing it with another as compared with the old practice of placing a box on a support, removing it and turning it end for end, and then finally removing it and replacing it with another.

While I have shown the invention as embodied in a specific form, it is to be understood that various changes in details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a turntable having a shaft and a support extending across one end of the shaft and adapted to support a box thereon, a reciprocable platen movable to and from a position wherein it may engage a part of the box on the support, means actuated by movement of said platen to rotate the turntable a predetermined amount to bring another part of said box into position to be engaged by the platen, and means to reciprocate said platen.

2. In combination, a turntable having a shaft and a support extending across one end of the shaft and adapted to support a box thereon, with an edge portion of the box overhanging the edge of the support, a reciprocable platen movable to and from a position wherein it may engage said edge portion of the box, means actuated by movement of said platen to rotate the turntable a predetermined amount to bring another part of said edge portion or the box into position to be engaged by the platen, and means to reciprocate said platen.

3. In combination, a turntable having a shaft and a support extending across one end of the shaft and adapted to support a box thereon, with an edge portion of the box oxerhanging the edge of the support, a reciprocable platen movable to and from a position wherein it may engage said edge portion of the box, a ratchet secured to said turntable, a pawl adapted to actuate said ratchet to rotate said turntable to bring another part of said edge portion of the box into position to be engaged by said platen, a connection between said pawl and platen adapted to operate said pawl upon movement of the platen in one direction, a spring adapted to return said pawl upon movement of the platen in the opposite direction, and means to reciprocate said platen.

4. In combination, a turntable having a shaft and a support extending across one end of the shaft and adapted to support a box thereon, with an edge portion of the box overhanging the edge of the support, a reciprocable platen movable to and from a position wherein it may engage said edge portion of the box, a ratchet secured to said turntable, a pawl adapted to actuate said ratchet to rotate said turntable to bring another part of said edge portion of the box into position to be engaged by said platen, a sprocket secured to said pawl, a chain engaging said sprocket and secured to said platen, whereby movement of the platen in one direction will cause said pawl to actuate said ratchet, a spring secured to said chain to return the pawl upon movement of the platen in the opposite direction, and means to reciprocate said platen.

JOHN H. GARROTT. 

